New Allies
by jinx777
Summary: In an attempt to mend the gap between humans and Extra Species, Sarutobi made a deal with their leader to create a special team with a genin of their choice form Konoha as a representative for See what happens when they pick our favourite blonde trouble rated M for safty, read AN at start before reading fic!


**IMPORTANT****- Read this before the fic!**

**This fic is a crossover between Naruto and ****Monster Musume no Iru Nichijou, it is not the first of this crossover, there is another, the authers name is Mark20020. But before you start reading you need to read the manga so it makes any kind of sense. There is a link on my profile to the manga.**

**Just a note, Naruto is 16, along with the others when they graduate the academy.**

Summary-

In an attempt to mend the gap between humans and Extra Species, Sarutobi made a deal with their leader to create a special team with a genin of their choice form Konoha as a representative for humans. See what happens when they pick our favourite blonde trouble maker.

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**Disclaimer- I own nothing **:(

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Chapter 1- Extra Species

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It was a well known fact in the Elemental Nations that humans were not the only race living in them, though they were rarely seen, they were called the Extra Species, people that were part human and part animal, and in some case something else entirely. In the few times one of these people ventured out of their village the people of the Elemental Nations had seen people with the top half being human and the bottom half a horse, people with feathers instead of hair, and even one time a man that seemed to be a walking corpse.

For the most part the Extra Species all lived together in a large village that was protected by seals, making it both impossible to find and for humans to enter. This meant that although it was know that they exist, no one knew where they lived, how many of them there were or even just how many different types of Extra Species there were. The reason that they stayed in their village was that they didn't trust humans, having been treated as mere animals in the past with several humans believing them to be a, inferior race because of their animalistic tendencies.

The village itself was enormous, having to be in order for so many different species living in it, with a large stone wall invisible to the human eye, even the Byakugan, stretching over a hundreds feet into the air. The building inside it looked odd, some of them reaching far into the sky before ending with a ball shaped structure at the top where most of the Extra Species that had bird like natures lived while others looked more like underground bunkers for the ones that were more of the underground nature. The spaces between each building were further apart then what you would see in a human village in order to accommodate those that were from larger species, and the building themselves where a mix of every colour imaginable with no actual order to them.

In the centre of the village, just like how it was in the hidden ninja villages, was a large tower. It stood taller then all the other building in the village and was painted a rusty red with a brown pointed roof. The walls were lined with windows, form which a seemingly never ending flow of people with wings would fly in and out of, and the front doors were large enough for the biggest of species to fix though with ease. This was the tower where the leader of the village worked; it wasn't the same as being a Kage, but it was similar in a lot of ways.

The current leader of the village was Hissori Hebi, a Lamia. Lamia were a race of half human, half snakes that were known for their strength and silent movement. They were also known for the fact of only ever giving birth to females, no matter whom or what they mated with, the offspring would always be a female Lamia.

Hissori had dark green hair that fell down to the middle of her back, pointed green ears sticking out of either side of her head and bright green eyes with slit pupils. On either of her cheeks green scales the same shade as her hair could be seen and from the waist down she had a seven meter long green snake tail with a lighter green underbelly. She wore a white button up shirt with the top few buttons left undone; leaving a large portion of her breasts in view, with a light brown skirt around her middle that covered her body where the two half's met. Despite the fact that she was in her mid thirties, Hissori didn't look a day over twenty, her body ageing slower then a humans.

She was looking over her paperwork, humming to herself with a small, gentle smile on her face as she worked, when her eyes landed on a scroll that had arrived by messenger bird earlier in the day. She had recognised the insignia straight away as belonging to the Hokage and, although she didn't actually have any problems with humans, had been putting off opening it.

Letting out a resigned sigh she grabbed the scroll, broke the wax seal, and set in down on her desk to read. As her eyes moved over the words they grew wider and wider until it looked like they were about to pop out of her head. But by the time she got to the end Hissori had regained her composure and had taken on a look of deep thought.

The Sandaime Hokage wanted to make a treaty with her and the 'Extra Species',as the humans called them, allowing them to come and go from Konoha as they pleased, with the understanding that if they attempted to do something detrimental to the village they would be sent back to this village for the necessary punishment. In return several of their kind would join the Konoha ninja force, which if she agreed would result in a special team being formed, made up of a mixture of humans and Extra Species.

When she thought about it, Hissori couldn't help but agree that it was a good plan. Despite the fact that the village was huge, it was getting more and more crowded every day, opening up relations with the humans could be a good way to help with that problem. It would also help bridge the gap that had been formed between the humans and her people, all these years having hidden behind the stone walls of the village had made it so that neither side knew anything about the other anymore, though she was familiar with ninja and their social order.

At the bottom were the academy students, kids and teens that were being trained as a large group, then there were the genin, who would spend their first few years training under a Jonin. After Genin were the chunin, before they moved on to jonin when they had enough experience and skill. Then if they didn't form a team a jonin could move on to ANBU, the elite of the village, and finally the strongest of the village was the Kage.

She had heard a lot about Konoha over the last few years and, although they were still a military village, they were without a doubt the nicest of the Five Great Villages. Sarutobi Hiruzen was also supposes to be one of the strongest and most compassioned of the Hokage's, which also helped explain him extending an olive branch, so to speak.

But even if his intentions were good and his reputation was impressive, that didn't mean she would just blindly trust him and his village. Just because one person didn't have a problem with her kind didn't mean others didn't, plus there was no guaranty that humans and 'Extra Species' _could_ co-exist in the same village. They needed a way to test it before they could just jump in, and Hissori had an idea that might just work.

Quickly pulling out a pen and a scroll, she hesitated for a moment, weighing her decision over several times, before nodding to herself and started writing her reply to the Hokage.

XXX

Sat at his desk, lit pipe in one hand and scroll in the other, Hiruzen Sarutobi sighed as he read the reply from the leader of the Extra Species. On his table was a pile of folders, with one set aside from the rest. The fact that they had actually replied was more then he had been expecting when he had made them the offer, their mistrust of humans as a whole only being matched by humans mistrust of them. They had made a few changes to his offer, though that was to be expected, but they weren't too extreme so he didn't see a problem with them.

They would agree to a 'trial run', and would send over several of their kind to Konoha one at a time to live among them. The chosen would live with a genin of their chose, the one genin that would be allowed on the special team along with two jonin sensei, and after a few years providing it all went well they would begin negotiations on more coming to live in the village. The only problem now was that they were requesting the information on every academy student that would be of age in three weeks time so that they could choose the genin that would be place on the special team.

In the shinobi world information was power, and if he gave in to their request Sarutobi would be giving them detailed information on an entire generation of leaf-nin. But even that wasn't the biggest issue with giving them the information. The biggest issue was that Naruto Uzumaki was in the group, and if he gave them his file it would have to include the fact that he was a Jinchuriki or he would risk a diplomatic indecent for withholding important information, along with if he just didn't include the file at all.

Turning to look at the man leaning against the wall out of the corner of his eye, Sarutobi put the scroll down before taking a pull on his pipe, savouring the burning sensation as the smoke filled his lungs.

"What do you think, Jiraiya? This is a once in a life time opportunity to start to mend the rift between our races, but not even Naruto himself knows about his condition and I fear what my happen."

Frowning in thought, the white haired sannin stood up and walked over to the table, taking a moment to examine the scroll more closely, before nodding to himself.

"Include the information on his status as a Jinchuriki; they don't have any links to the other villages so it shouldn't be too much of a problem. If they choose him just make sure to tell the kid before they arrive and if not you have nothing to worry about."

Nodding in agreement, the elderly Hokage picked up the file that was separate form the pile and added it.

Smiling at his old sensei, Jiraiya walked to the widow and was about to jump out and head towards the closest bathhouse when he decided to throw one last comment over his shoulder.

"Besides, what are the chances that out of the entire group of academy students graduating, they pick Naruto?"

XXX

Reading over the files that the Hokage had sent her, Hissori hummed to herself as she looked over all the students and so far she had narrowed it down to three.

The first was a boy named Sasuke Uchiha; he was a shoe-in for 'Rookie of the Year' and was from one of the most respected clans in the village. The only problem was that according to his psychological evaluation he was unstable and had an obsession to kill his brother...no he wasn't the right choice.

The second was a girl named Sakura Haruno, the top kunoichi in her class, though from what Hissori had read it was only because of her academic record. Her parents were well respected villages of Konoha, her father was even on the village council, but for some reason she just didn't seem to be the right choice.

The third was a boy named Naruto Uzumaki, he was an orphan with the worst academy record from the group she had received files on and according to his file was little more then the village pariah. She was familiar with the concept of Jinchuriki, though the idea was sickening to her. It wasn't that she had a problem with the people that had the demons sealed into them so much was the treatment they were subjected to by the people around them, and from what she had read in his medical file this Naruto was no different. In the last few years he had been admitted to the hospital twenty seven times for broken bones, stab wounds, gashes and more, she had been unable to read any more after seeing how at one time when he was six they had brought him in because someone had cut his tongue out. Luckily for the boy it had grown back within a few days, in fact all his injures seemed to heal at an amazing rate.

It was actually this reason, along with the fact she believed he would be able to understand what it was like to be discriminated against, that she was going to choose him. The fact that her kind and humans were separated for so long meant that they could easily injure a regular human without even realising it, them being a lot more...breakable then her kind. But with his quick healing it wouldn't be as much of a problem.

Looking at the picture of the blonde teen with a large toothy grin on his face that didn't reach his eyes, Hissori couldn't help the gentle, motherly smile that crossed her lips. Maybe this 'trial run' would do more good then she had thought.

XXX

Once again sitting in his office with his pipe in his hand, Sarutobi locked tired eyes on the sixteen year old blonde in front of him.

Naruto really did look like a clone of his father, the only difference between them being the shape of his face and the three whisker marks on each cheek, and it made it all the harder for him to do what he was about to do. He had gown out of his habit of wearing orange, at least to a point, and now wore a dark orange shirt with a black jacket and black pants with bandages tied around his ankles and hands, though he did still wear the goggles he had brought him all those years ago.

Letting out a deep sigh, the elderly Hokage leaned forward and rested his head on his hands, the pipe in his mouth and a sad look on his face.

"Naruto, I called you here for several reasons, but the most important is something I should have told you a long time ago. As you know on the night of your birth the village was attacked by the Kyuubi no Kitsune, and we were all facing death until the Yondaime was able to defeat it."

After seeing the blonde teen nod, Sarutobi continued.

"That was a lie"

"...What?"

Pushing the file over to Naruto, who eyed it as if it was about to explode in his face, the old man carried on.

"The Biju are not like humans, or even Extra Species, they do not have an actual soiled form, at least not permanently. They are nothing more then a natural build of chakra that has gained some form of self awareness, which is why it is often said that they are like a natural disaster, they really are. It is because they do not have an actual body that it is impossible to kill a Biju, you can dissipate them for a time, normally a year or so, but they will just reform. For year humans tried to discover a way to stop them, and eventually we did."

He watched with a heavy heart as Naruto hung off his every word while his eyes grew wider and wider as he read the files, his file...his _full_ file. When he heard the old man stop, the blonde teen looked up at him, not with the usual forced grin that he was so use to seeing, but with a haunted look that would be engraved into his mind for the rest of his life.

"It was discovered that we could seal the Biju into humans, babies to be more pasific, with undeveloped chakra pathways that could expand from the increase in chakra without killing then instantly. They were named Jinchuriki, 'The Power of Human Sacrifice' because it was discovered that no matter what anyone tried to do they would always live a life full of misery. While there are those that understand that a Jinchuriki is a prison, the majority of people are unable to except it and see them as the demons reincarnated."

By this point Narutos hands were shaking, his normally tanned skin had gone pale and he looked like he was about to be sick.

"You were the only child born on the day of the attack and because of that were chosen to be the Jinchuriki of the Kyuubi, a great honour that made you the hero of the village... I am sorry that I did not tell you sooner but I thought that by hiding it from you I could spare you the burden you carry, I even created a law to stop people from talking about it by punishment of death in an attempt to stop the older generation from poisoning your own and those after you against you. Unfortunately it didn't work, I am truly sorry my boy."

For several minutes they sat in complete silence, even the ANBU hidden in the corners of the room were getting uncomfortable from the tense atmosphere, and in those few minutes Sarutobi couldn't bring himself to look at the teen in front of him so he kept his eyes on the desk. Finally, after what felt like an eternity to the old Kage, Naruto's voice reached his ears.

"Is their anything else you need me for, Hokage-sama."

His words felt like daggers, the cold detached way in which they were spoken hitting him worse then it would have if he had shouted at the top of his lungs. Naruto had never called him Hokage-sama, it was always old-man, or Grandpa, and it was strange how much he already missed it.

Taking a moment to compose himself, Sarutobi cleared his throat before nodding and reaching into one of the draws on his desk and placing a brand new headband on the desk with a long black cloth instead of the traditional blue.

"Yes, I have more. Over the last few months I have been in negotiations with the leader of the Extra Species and we were able to make a deal that will benefit both Konoha and them. In three days time one of their people will arrive in the village, the first of several to come in the next few weeks, and it will mark the start of a knew experimental team that will be composed of a number of different Extra Species, two jonin and one freshly graduated genin. The Extra Species would live with the genin they chose and depending on how well this works will determine if any others join us in the village. I provided them with the files of all the academy students that would be graduating and out of those files they picked you. As of this moment you are a genin of Konoha, and a diplomat of sorts to the Extra Species that will be coming. I have already arranged for your belongings to be moved from your apartment and moved to your new home."

At this point he placed a piece of paper next to the headband with the address on it.

"It has been designed to be liveable for both you and the others that will be arriving, though it may need to be adjusted at a later date."

Pausing again, Sarutobi pulled out a leather bound book and placed it on the table with the other things.

"They also sent you this book, it contains information on a large number of Extra Species, which you will need to read before the first one arrives, depending on what kind they are you will also be responsible for their care needs. I'm sure I don't need to tell you just how important this 'trial run' is to the village and what an honour it is to be chosen."

Without saying a word, Naruto slowly stood from his seat and took the headband, note and book without even looking at the Hokage, his hair shadowing his eyes as he turned and walked towards the door. Just before leaving, he looked back over his shoulder, eyes still hidden.

"Funny how I never seemed to have a choice when it comes to great honours...Hokage-sama."

Before Sarutobi could reply the boy was gone.

XXX

Naruto didn't notice that the villagers were giving him a wider berth then usual, they still glared, but no one throw anything at him as he passed. Apparently the Hokage wasn't the only one to be disturbed to not see his usual smile fixed on his whiskered face. He was walking through the village with a blank look on his face, not even paying attention to where he was going, his body running on autopilot. It didn't take him long to reach the address on the note the Hokage had given him.

It was actually in the part of the village that was made up of clan homes, with Aburame clan compound on the left and the Inuzuka on the right. If Naruto was actually paying attention he would have wondered where the space that the house had been built on and the surrounding land that was inside the perimeter fence had come from, the few times he had been wander these streets the two clan homes had always been right next to each other.

The house itself was huge and was built in the same traditional style as the other clan homes, with a deck on the front and siding doors. It was three stories high with, a large window on the top floor facing the front of the house, but he didn't even spar any of it a glace as he just walked up the steps and walked inside. The moment the door closed behind him Naruto's legs went limp and he just collapse on the ground, tears falling from the corner of his eyes and his body shaking, yet he didn't make a sound. An hour later, after he was done crying Naruto stood back up, let out a sigh, and finally took the time to look around his new home.

It had several room, though he did notice that several of them were different from what he was use to, one actually looked more like a birds nest then an actually bed. The roofs were high and the corridors wide, and he was sure that he could fit several of himself through the doors at the same time and still have room to move. Just how big were his roommates going to be? They had been taught about Extra Species in the academy, though it wasn't much because of the lack of information they had on them, so for all he knew they could all be ten feet tall giants.

He also learned that despite the fact that the Hokage had said they were moving his stuff, not that he had much anyway, none of his old furniture had been brought. He guessed it wouldn't look very good to have a moldy sofa and bed with springs sticking out of the mattress when they were trying to make a good impression.

After looking through all the rooms Naruto eventually found one he like on the second floor. It had clean white walls and with a good sized bed, a window looking out over the back of the house onto what seemed to be a large privet training ground that he made a note to himself to get a closer look later. It also had a desk set to one side with a lamp, and a large wardrobe and chest of draws. It didn't take him long to get his clothes, which had been left in the front hall, and after making sure that they hadn't been tampered with he put them away into the wardrobe.

When he was done Naruto sat at the desk and placed the book he had been given to read.

XXX

Three days later Naruto was stood next to the Hokage at the Northern gate into the village with about half the shinobi force stood around them. The day after he told Naruto, Sarutobi had announced the upcoming arrival to the village and they had all come to welcome the Extra Species that were due to arrive any minute.

He still wasn't talking to the old man, at least not in the same when he did before. He would answer any question he was asked, listen to what he was being told, but other then that he was silent. Though at least he was able to put his smile back on his face in public again, it still hurt the elderly Hokage that the boy he had thought of as a grandson turned to stone whenever they were alone.

Eventually a small dot could be seen in the distance, gradually getting bigger was it got closer to the gate until they were able to make out the approaching group.

Naruto was able to make out a large carriage, expensive looking carriage being pulled by two large black horses, with four very tall men walking in a square formation around it with a long spear in each of their hands and a sword attached to their belts. As the group go even closer they realised that the reason the four men were so tall was the fact that from the waist down they were horses, the sound of their hooves echoing in the air along with the two normal horses that were pulling the carriage. On the human part of their bodies they wore steel plated armour and helmets that covered most of their faces from view.

"_Centaurs_"

Naruto named the men in his head, the passage in the book about the warrior race coming to the forefront of his mind.

They were trained from a young age by their family in both sword and spear fighting, were known to have high stamina and were completely loyal to the person that they considered their 'master'. According to the book a Centaur would spend their whole lives looking for the one they would sever and only their master was allowed to ride them and if anyone that wasn't their master did it was the highest insult, and to some was considered the equivalent to rape.

He didn't speak his thoughts out loud and just kept smiling as they approached. They stopped several meters away from the gate and the Centaur all moved to stand on either side of the door before one opened the door to the carriage.

Naruto had been prepared for a lot of things to come out of the carriage, but he definitely wasn't expecting a beautiful woman that looked to be in her twenties with long green hair and the body of a snake from the waist down to slither out. Nor was he expecting the second to follow shortly behind.

She was younger then the fist, about the same age as Naruto himself, and instead of green she had blood red hair and scales, with two yellow hairclips holing it away from her face and although her tail was about a meter shorter then the one with green scales it was still impressive. Her eyes were the colure of melted gold with a vertical black slit cutting through the middle and her face was almost exactly the same as the older woman's except it was younger and had red scales covering her cheeks. They both wore similar clothes, but wear the one with green hair wore a white button up shirt with a brown shirt the red haired girl wore a blue shirt tied into a knot just under her breasts, leaving her stomach bare and the scales that covered her hips up to either side of her stomach in full view, with a black skirt.

"_Lamia_"

Again Naruto's thoughts turned back to the book at the sight of the two half snake half women in front of him.

Lamias were a lot rarer then Centaurs, the fact that they were all women making it harder for them to find a suitable mate. They could move without making a sound in even the hardest terrain and were incredibly strong; according to the book a fully grown Lamia could crush a boulder with its tail. It also said that no matter whom or what they mated with the child would always be a Lamia, but despite this they only ever took one mate in their lives.

If the Hokage was surprised at the sight of them, he didn't show it, Sarutobi just put a welcoming smile on his face stepped forward to meet them half way before bowing to the group.

"It is my pleasure to welcome you all to Konoha; I am Sarutobi Hiruzen, the Sandaime Hokage of Konoha."

Returning the bow, the green Lamia smiled at the elderly man in front of her.

"The pleasure is ours, Hokage-sama. My name is Hebi Hissori, leader of my people and this is my daughter, Mia. She will be the first of my kind staying with you."

At the sound of her name the red Lamia moved forward and gave a bow of her own, getting a grandfatherly smile from the old man. It was at this point he turned to Naruto and gestured for him to come forward.

"I believe you already know him from his file, but let me introduce Uzumaki Naruto."

Stepping next to the Hokage, Naruto placed his right hand over his heart and the left behind his lower back as he gave a bow of his own, getting a surprised look form the six Extra Species and a confused one from the gathered ninja, including Sarutobi.

"Well met Hebi-sama, honourable Centaurs, may the gods and goddesses favour you and your group."

At his words the smile on Hissori's face grew a little and she covered her mouth with her hand as a small giggle escaped it.

"And may they smile on you. I see you have been studying the book I sent you, Naruto-kun. I thank you for your thoughtfulness in addressing us in our own custom."

His confusion quickly changing into an understanding smile, Sarutobi motioned for the gathered ninja to leave before leading the group to Narutos new home for their inspection. He had been carful to keep it well cleaned, his years of living by himself meaning that he knew how to clean, and when they arrive the blonde teen broke off from the group and made his way to the kitchen while they inspected the house.

Another thing he had learned from his time living alone was how to cook, though he spent a lot of his time eating ramen he knew the importance of eating a well balanced meal, and after memorising most of the book already he knew what different Extra Species could and couldn't eat.

By the time they were finished looking around the house Naruto had finished preparing lunch, which he placed on the table as they came into the room. They were yet again surprised to see just how much he had learned from the book when they saw the four salads for the Centaurs, who didn't eat meat, and two plates of a verity of barely cooked meat for the two Lamia. The group moved to sit at the table, giving the boy appreciative nods as they did, and started their meal while Naruto moved to stand next to the Hokage.

When he saw that the old man was once again confused he explained.

"Centaurs are unable to digest meat, meaning that their diet consists of a verity of vegetables, fruits and herbs. Lamias are the opposite, although they can eat certain vegetables, their diet is mostly made up of meat, raw in some cases."

Raising an eyebrow at the explanation, Sarutobi nodded before a small frown crossed his lips.

"You learnt all this in just three days from that book, yet from your academy records you have failed almost all of your written exams up until the last year under Iruka?"

"The academy instructors always seemed to...run out of work books before I was given one, until Iruka became my teacher I had never been given a book to study from, Hokage-sama."

His frown increasing slightly, the old Kage made a mental note to pay a visit to the academy at some point in the future, before it turned into a sad smile at the realisation that Naruto had been discriminated against in such a way without him even knowing. It made him wonder what else had been happening to the boy without him knowing.

After they had finished their food Hissori and the Centaur left to see the village with the Hokage, leaving Naruto with Mia saying they would be back in a few hours and to do what they wanted.

For the first few minutes neither of them said a word, just stood across from each other and looked around the room in uncomfortable silence. Before Naruto walked over to the table and carried the plates to the kitchen sink and started washing them, Mia following him a moment later and started drying them. After she had done the first few she looked around, frowning slightly before turning back to the blonde teen.

"Where should I put these, Naruto-san?"

Smiling, Naruto pointed to one of the cupboards before turning back to the sink.

After she had put the plates away Mia moved next to the whiskered boy, a small smile on her face.

"The house is lovely; it was really nice of you and your family to let them remodel it."

His smile still in place, Naruto looked at the red haired teen and chuckled.

"I wasn't living here until a few days ago, I moved in after they told me about the 'trial run'."

Turning to look at him in surprise, Mia shrugged her shoulders.

"What did your parents say when you moved out?"

"I don't have any"

Stopping with a glass in her hand, the young Lamia looked to Naruto with a slightly shocked expression on her face, especially when she saw that he was still smiling. When he saw the look Naruto tilted his head to the side, not noticing that it made her blush from the cute action.

"Didn't you read my file? It was sent with the others when your mother picked me."

Letting out a nervous chuckle, Mia rubbed the back of her head in embarrassment.

"I...kind of forgot to read it."

Instead of getting angry like she had been expecting, Naruto let out a laugh, shaking his head in amusement before finishing the last of the glasses and smiling at her.

"Well it doesn't really matter anyway. Oh, did you pick a room yet?"

When he saw her shake her head Narutos grin stretched wider and his eyes closed, then without a second thought grabbed her hand and started pulling her towards the stairs.

"The whole house has seals that make it so I can adjust the temperature in all the rooms, I'll help you find one and then we can set it to any temperature you like!"

Because he was pulling her Naruto didn't see the large blush that covered her entire face as she started at their interlocked fingers.

XXX

After they had finished wandering around the village Sarutobi brought Hissori to his office and, after he order his ANBU to leave the room and she ordered the Centaur to wait outside, the old Hokage let out a sigh before slumping in his chair. Seeing the tired look on his face, the green haired woman got a concerned look on her face.

"Are you alright, Hokage-sama?"

Seeing her worried look Sarutobi gave her a small smile.

"Just my age catching up to me, and please call me Sarutobi, we don't need to stand on ceremony in here."

Nodding her head, Hissori let her shoulders sag a little before looking at the Hokage with a question on her mind.

"Then you may call me Hissori. If you don't mind me asking, why have you not retired? It is clear this job puts a lot of strain on you so why not pick another successor?"

Letting out a small chuckle as he reached for his pipe, Sarutobi seemed to actually age before her eyes and he let out a sigh.

"I wish I could, Hissori-san, but there is no one in the village who could replace me. My student Jiraiya has a job to do that is vital to Konohas survival and my other student Tsunade has vowed to never return to the village after the lost of her lover in the last Great War. There are several jonin that have potential, but none of them are ready for the responsibility and until such a time that one is I will remain behind this desk."

Nodding her head in understanding, the green haired woman let a smile cross her lips at his words.

"You must truly love this village, Sarutobi-san"

"That I do"

They stayed in confinable silence for several minutes, before Sarutobi put his pipe down and looked to the half snake woman in front of him.

"Why him, why out of all the files I sent you did you pick Naruto?"

Looking at her hands folded on her lap, Hissori too a moment to think about her answer before looking at the old Hokage with a sad expression on her face.

"Even my kind understands what it means to be a Jinchuriki, Sarutobi-san. The loneliness, the hate, it is not so different to the treatment we faced before our own village was created. Who better to live with my kind and understand what it is like to be scorned for something that isn't their fault then someone that has had to live with it themselves? He will not mistreat my kind because he knows what it is like to be different. Not only that but because of his incredible healing rate it means he is the best choice because my people are stronger then your own and have never needed to limit themselves, if an accident should happen he will heal within a few days at most."

At her word Sarutobi scowled, not like the idea of Naruto being chosen just because he could heal quickly if something bad happened, but before he could voice his displeasure he was stopped by her next words.

"But the main reason I chose him was his eyes."

"...what do you mean?"

Reaching into her pocket, Hissori pulled out the photo that had been in Narutos file and placed it on the desk between them.

"What does it say about a person when they are able to smile with their lips yet cry with their eyes at the same time? He needs a reason to hold on to his sanity or eventually the hate he is forced to endure will consume him, as it has with so many Jinchuriki in the passed. I chose him so that he could make connections to ground himself before it is too late, Sarutobi-san."

For several minutes the elderly Hokage couldn't speak, his eyes were closed in an attempt to stop the flood of tears that were threatening to spill from his them.

"Until three days ago Naruto was not aware of his burden, I had hidden it from him hoping he would be able to live like any other citizen of Konoha, but I was a fool to think that the people of this village would just let go of their hatred towards the beast that killed their families."

"You did what you thought was best, you can not ask any more of yourself then that, no one can."

She didn't miss the sad smile that crossed his lips.

"I think of him as my own grandson, and until three days ago he thought of me as his grandfather. The day I told him of his burden was the first time he had ever called me Hokage-sama, now I fear that he will never trust me like he once did again, and it breaks my heart that he has every right not to."

"...the thing about people that smile even when they are sad is that they don't do it for themselves, it takes something stronger to give them the will power to smile in the face of hate. I think he was smiling because of you, Sarutobi-san, and I think the fact that he still is means that he will forgive you one day. It may take days, it may take years, but one day he will forgive you."

Giving the woman a grateful smile, Sarutobi wiped the tears from his eyes and nodded.

Smiling, Hissori looked to the clock on the wall before letting out a sigh and turning back to the Hokage.

"We should be getting back; after all we did leave two teenagers alone in a house."

Chuckling, Sarutobi stood up from his seat and walked towards the door.

"I'm sure we have nothing to worry about, how much trouble could they get into?"

Right after the words left his mouth Sarutobi heard a whistling sound and turned to see something flying through the window.

XXX

"Wow, it's so big!"

Naruto nodded in agreement, a proud smile on his face.

"I know right, but be carful or you might set it off, this thing is strong enough to completely cover about a hundred foot radios."

Nodding her head in understanding, Mia put a finger to mouth before looking back at Narutos face.

"But why is it orange?"

"Because I like orange, it's a great colour!"

Shrugging her shoulders, Mia followed the whiskered blonde into the back garden/training ground and watched as he loaded the giant orange water balloon filled with paint into an equally giant slingshot that was pointed towards the Hokage tower in the distance.

"Why are we doing this again?"

His voice strained as he started to pull back the band of the slingshot, Naruto looked at the red haired snake girl out of the corner of his eye with a smirk on his face.

"I owe the old man some payback for something, it was either this or replace his stash of porn he keeps in his desk draw with gay porn, and I want to save that for another day."

Shrugging her shoulders, Mia grabbed the band with her tail and pulled it back without any problem, getting a wide grin from Naruto as he started to aim it.

"Ok let it go on my mark, ready...1...2...3!"

XXX

The balloon ended up hitting Sarutobi in the chest before exploding, covering both him and everything else in the office in bright orange paint, with the exception of Hissori, who had ducked behind the desk in time to avoid the splatter. When she lifted her head from behind the desk, she couldn't help but let out a giggle at the sight of the Hokage covered from head to toe in bright orange paint, a large tick mark forming on his forehead and his right eye twitching.

Taking a deep breath to help calm himself down, Sarutobi slowly turned to the window and looked out over Konoha with a stoic expression, before yelling at the top of his voice.

"NARUTO!"

XXX

**Hope you all like it :)**

**R&R :)**


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